Without War
by Chelsi Red
Summary: Sif and Thor have always been very different. But the two have bumped into a common problem. It's been centuries without war, and now that there is none to be had, none of the Asgardians know how to handle it, and worse they have no idea how to live their life without war. But out of stressful and somewhat rash decisions Odin has found a task for them. While Odin tries to please th


Tears fell from her black eyes, and her hands shook.

"Please," She begged. "Allow me to be the last to make up for the years of war, please, I am the last, I will not betray you!" She raised her hands in surrender.

Odin watched her, while the strands of her white dirty hair were picked up by the wind. "Please!" She cried, she looked up. "Allow me to make wrongs right!"

The wind got stronger, painting the sky in a gray purple color, while the sun glared into the clouds. "Please." She begged again while tears streaked down her cold nearly porcelain face.

The cold chambers of the kingdom had developed only into rehashed images that pained Thor.

Every corner had a memory or a scolded tale of his past. The holidays and gatherings which were originally only supposed to be in glee, merely resulted in to rotten arguments. It dwindled down to Thor and his father, and then sheer silence.

Eventually they didn't bother getting together anymore. Instead they spent the holidays alone and in separate quarters. But today Odin was busy with plans for the kingdom, and recently Odin didn't even bother sharing his plans with his son. Maybe because they both knew it wouldn't matter, Thor would go and do his own thing, and unless it was crucial matters Odin didn't particularly need or want his son's aid. Thor was bored though. There was no army to fight, no war to end, no scum causing trouble in the city, there was only peace.

And after the last year of havoc and chaos, from people wanting their questions answered, you would have imagined it being a blessing.

Though not even Thor knew the answer to the question they were all asking. "What will become of Loki?"

Thor didn't bother intervening, he knew it'd only be a life sentence or maybe he'd be casted off into an empty cell to live out his days in madness. But Thor had fought with himself many nights and days, trying to come up with the _right _thing or moral thing to do.

To let his brother be punished or not to?

Thor sat in the large darkened dining hall. Were sleek marble floors reflected the room and the table was clean with a glossy finish. Thor ran his fingers along the surface, in a longing way.

"You miss the old days?" He looked up quickly to the young girl who stood in the door way. He smiled at her in a brotherly way and nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"It didn't feel like things were going to change, but they did, and everything seemed to fall apart." He said with a sort of grief in his usually strong thunder of a voice.

"Some pretty big things to think about." The girl said, setting some buckets of soapy water on the wood floor. Thor watched her while she went to open the drapes. "You should find yourself a hobby Thor."

He watched her, while she innocently did her chores. "It's not healthy to wait and hope for some sort of war or disaster to happen, just so you don't have to aimlessly wonder around the empty chambers of the palace."

"What else is there to wait for besides the fate of my brother?" The girl looked up at him, "Loki?" She asked in question while picking up one of the heavy rags. He nodded.

"I don't know what I should be worried about, whether he will be executed or allowed to live. Both seem equally awful to humanity and the nine realms." Thor said watching her as she scrunched up the rag and began wiping down the floors. "Thor, you need something, like a mission."

"You say that like you know what I should do."

She paused, her arm getting tired. "Humanity has goals in their life… What's yours?"

"A goal?" He asked in question, as if the word were alien.

"Yes, something you want to do with your life."

"I am a hero, for the earth people and Asgard."

She began rubbing down a smudge on the floor. "Yes, I understand that. But what are you going to do when Asgard _doesn't_ need a hero?" Thor watched her, looking down while she cleaned the floor, her hair tangled in a large bun on top of her head. "I don't know."

"Melody, what's your goal?" He asked her curiously. "You already know, I'm here being trained by the nurses and healers of the kingdom, the best in Asgard. And to make up for the training, I shall double as a maid." He stooped down, and picked up a large rag and began helping her wipe down the floor. And then they both silently cleaned the floor.

Working in silence seemed to help them bond better, and though Thor felt that the quietness left him feeling exposed and aimless, he soon felt much more comfortable with Melody, more than almost anyone. While in that silence he remembered that it was how he came to grow so close with Loki, when they were younger.

Loki would be reading and when Thor was feeling lonely and down he'd go to his younger brother and sit next to him, either watching the pages, or making up stories or playing around. The things he did as a child. Maybe now, that was why he didn't like the silence.

Maybe because it reminded him of his brother, which was awful because it was always very quiet.

Sif herself was tired, she had been squandering up pointless positions for war.

Constantly trying to find a way to improve their battle skills, improve weaponry, strength and honor. She had been doing so for a long time, and she only seemed to be running in circles. Trying to keep herself busy till the next outbreak of war struck.

"You seem absent minded." Assumed a man to her right, she looked to him and forced a smile. "Absent minded? Last time I checked raising our security isn't something an absent minded person would do."

He nodded, "_But, _you're working very hard."

"Audun, I'm glad you worry about me but you don't have to."

He watched her and sighed. Wanting badly for her to stop walking away from him, mainly because it felt more as though she was running _from_ him, "Can you not be still?"

He asked, them coming to a hall of glittering gold marble and shelves of dusty books.

She turned in annoyance. "Audun, I can't right now."

"Why?" He asked with a spark of anger.

"Because, we need to be prepared," She said nearly dismissing him, turning beginning to walk. "Sif!" He grabbed her wrist and she immediately pulled back, touching her wrist in denial. "Why?! There's nobody to fight anymore. There's no war, no battles, everyone's at peace, and the only war that seems to be going on, seems to be the one you're having with yourself."

Sif watched him for a moment, "Maybe so, but what do _you _want to do about it?"

"In case your forgetting this is the only thing I have." She stated in defense.

"You have tons of things, armor, swords, mystical spells I'm sure, there's _nothing else_ you can obtain!" "Your right, but the last thing I need to keep, is the safety of these people. And that is something I will never have, it will never be peaceful within the nine realms!" He watched her, growing angry.

But then he scowled. "I thought that after this mess with the nine realms, midgard and Loki, that you'd have time. That we'd both have time to donate to another. But clearly I see it was never the war that was keeping your feelings at bay. It must be something deeper within you…"

She watched him softening, "Audun," She said in a soft whisper, as if maybe she could reach out to him and touch his shoulder and grab his hand and fall into his arms, and be safe. But there was something in her gut that refused it no matter how much she wanted it in her heart.

He sighed. "If for the rest of your life you will always be trying to obtain complete peace and safety of your people, then _I _will never completely have you… Nobody will…"

"I love you Sif, but I don't think I can carry out with a Wedding when you might not attend because your too busy with work."

"Good bye." He said, watching the marble floor, looking as though he was unworthy, as though he felt like he failed. Waiting for her response. "Good bye." Sif said with an ache in her heart, she too watched the floor. His look of mugged up hope disappeared and he looked truly hurt.

He turned and left, allowing his cloak to swoop behind him in large waves, till finally he disappeared beyond the long extravagant halls.

Surly to never be seen again.

She stood there, baffled and bruised by what she had done to herself.

"I've lost the last person I had." She said, softly in a whisper. She swallowed and the pain seemed to burn down her throat, and stung her heart. A tear found its way down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away in humiliation that it was there to begin with.

She mechanically turned and rushed to the privacy of her quarters.

Where she remained till Odin called upon her…


End file.
